With recent Tennessee weather, the cold wind and indoor heat may be damaging your skin. The end of winter can be hard on the skin and cause dry and rough areas on the face. Chemical peels offer a way to rejuvenate your skin with little or no downtime depending on the treatment. Revitalize your skin back to a more youthful appearance with an easy and economical chemical peel. Contact Dr. Lucas for a free consultation.

To learn more...

• Contact Dr Lucas to schedule free a consultation and find out if a chemical peel is right for you.
• Read more about chemical peels at medicinet.com

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has recently reviewed practice of taking fat from liposuction and injecting it back into the patient for breast enhancement purposes and found that it “can be considered a safe.”

Despite these new findings, there are some concerns. Some of the implanted fat dies and calcifies which may interfere with mammogram readings. This was the primary reason for the society's previous position against the procedure, but the latest review by the ASPS taskforce helped to put some of these concerns aside. The report found that fat grafting “could potentially interfere with breast cancer detection; however no evidence was found that strongly suggests this interference.”

Several plastic surgeons are already using this technique. While results vary from surgeon to surgeon, there are many success stories. Dr. Khouri has completed a study tracking 50 women for an average of 3.5 years which suggests that liposuctioned fat is now a “viable alternative to breast implants.”

This emerging technique is an exciting development in plastic surgery giving patients an all natural alternative to silicon implants and more natural looking breasts. Patients benefit from liposuction as well as breast augmentation, and don't have to worry about implant breakage or hardening.

To learn more...

• Contact Dr Lucas to schedule a free consultation, and learn more about this and other breast enhancement techniques.
• Read the New York Times article, “Your Own Fat, Relocated”

Harmonic surgical instruments result in less drainage, fewer drain days, less tissue damage, and less postoperative pain. In a recent study, Abdominoplaty patients experienced 33% less drainage, 1.4 fewer drain days, and less postoperative pain in the first 2 days of recovery. This technology has advantages for patients of other cosmetic surgeries as well, including facelift and breast enhancement patients.

Harmonic Technology works by creating an ultrasonic wave by applying electromagnetic energy to a piezoelectric transducer located between metal cylinders in the hand piece. In response to the electric field, the waves, traveling as sine waves from the hand piece to the blade, create mechanical vibrations. Silicon rings are located on the positions of the blade where the amplitude of the wave is zero in order to guide the blade.

These mechanical vibrations then drive the active blade of the device. Vibrating 55,500 times per second, when the blade comes into contact with the tissue and pressure is applied, the blood vessels are coapted.

This coaptation breaks up positive hydrogen molecules, denaturing the protein in the cells. The denatured protein then forms a sticky coagulum, which forms a reliable hemostatic seal, allowing the surgeon to simultaneously cut and coagulate. This results in significantly less drainage, fewer drain days, minimized tissue damage, and less postoperative pain as compared to electrosurgery.

To learn more...

• Contact Dr Lucas to schedule a free consultation, and learn about the benefits of Harmonic Technology.
• Visit the Harmonic Technology website to learn more.

Sculptra Aesthetic is indicated for the correction of shallow to deep nasolabial fold (smile lines) contour deficiencies and other facial wrinkles which are treated with the appropriate injection technique in healthy people.

Sculptra Aesthetic is a new type of facial injectable made from poly-L-lactic acid, which helps to replace lost collagen. It helps correct shallow to deep facial wrinkles, and folds, that appear with aging by replacing lost collagen. The main ingredient is a biocompatible, biodegradable synthetic material that has been used by physicians for decades.

Collagen is a key structural component that keeps skin youthful looking and smooth. As you age, your body's collagen production decreases, and you may begin to see wrinkles. Sculptra Aesthetic works to correct shallow to deep facial wrinkles and folds, as it replaces lost collagen, which can help provide a refined, more youthful looking appearance.

Sculptra Aesthetic works to replace lost collagen in a series of treatments. On average, three injection sessions are needed over a period of a few months. The number of injection sessions and the number of injections per session vary from person to person.

To lean more...

• Contact Dr Lucas to schedule a free consultation, and find out if Sculptra Aesthetic is right for you.
• Visit the Sculptra Aesthetic website for more information.

Juvederm is a smooth consistency gel made of hyaluronic acid—a naturally occurring substance in your skin that helps to add volume and hydration. Dr Lucas eases Juvederm injectable gel under the skin to restore your skin's volume and smooth away facial wrinkles and folds, like your “smile lines” or “parentheses” (nasolabial folds—the creases that run from the bottom of your nose to the corners of your mouth).

Juvederm is natural, biodegradable and currently the only approved hyaluronic acid dermal filler that has demonstrated its safety and effectiveness in patients of all skin types and colors.

With the injection process takes only about 15 minutes. Results are immediate, and there's minimal recovery or downtime. So you can step into your doctor's office for treatment and step right back into your life.

To learn more...

• Contact Dr Lucas to schedule a free consultation, and find out if Juvederm is right for you.
• Visit the Juvederm website for more information.